Hamilton Camp Movies

This Yuletide-season TV movie reverses the standard "three girls on the make" formula of many an old 20th Century Fox movie, of which How to Marry a Millionaire is a choice example. This time out, a trio of enterprising young men decide to go on the prowl for rich wives, after first consulting a nonplussed department-store Santa with their intentions. The plan, as hatched by the impoverished heroes, Tom (John Stamos), Jason (Shermar Moore), and Mark (Joshua Malina), is as follows: They will pose as hot-shot Hollywood movie producers, the better to entice attractive and wealthy young women to invest in their newest "production" -- and hopefully, to entrap said women into matrimony. As so often happens in stories of this nature, however, love ultimately triumphs over money. A bit too top-heavy with racy double entendres and potentially unsavory situations, the film is redeemed somewhat by the presence of Dabney Coleman and Rhea Perlman, cast as an older couple named -- believe it or not -- John and Jackie Kennedy. How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale made its first Fox Network appearance on December 20, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Blacklisted by the Ferengi Commerce Authority, Quark returns to his home planet hoping to find comfort and solace in the arms of his mother Ishka (Cecily Adams). But things quickly turn sour when Quark discovers that Ishka is having a clandestine romance with Ferengi leader Grand Nagus Zek (Wallace Shawn). At first shocked by this indiscretion, the enterprising Quark soons figures out a way to turn the situation to his advantage. Originally broadcast April 21, 1997, "Ferengi Love Songs" was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this tuneful animated sequel, that angelic ol' dog Charlie Barkin returns to create chaos in heaven and on earth. The trouble begins when Charlie gets bored with the peaceful bliss of life in doggy heaven and begins dreaming of returning to Earth. Even the arrival of his former best pal Itchy does little to cheer him up. Then the wicked Carface steals Gabriel's horn and in the struggle it falls into San Francisco. Charlie and Itchy jump at the chance to retrieve the holy horn. Once back on Earth, the two have many adventures and get entangled with a sexy Irish setter a kindly boy and a wicked cat with a nefarious scheme. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This made-for-cable remake of the cult favorite 1957 film of the same name is updated with an even more feminist slant and has a more thoughtful (and clever) script. Nancy Archer (Darryl Hannah) is a rich but troubled young woman married to a cheating lowlife who only stays with her for her money. She is driving home by herself one night when an alien spaceship lands on the road. She is irradiated by the ship and over the next few days starts to grow taller and taller, until she reaches a height of 50 feet. She uses her newfound height (and power) to take revenge on those who have wronged her -- especially husband Harry (Daniel Baldwin) and the trashy, gold-digging bimbo (Christi Conaway) he has taken up with. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi

Warren Beatty directed and starred in this big-budget action comedy featuring Chester Gould's square-jawed, two-dimensional comic strip detective. Ruthless gangster Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) touches off a gang war against underworld boss Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), with Big Boy and his minions rubbing out enough of Manlis's goons (along with Manlis himself) to take over his nightclub, and a healthy percentage of the city's criminal activities in the process. Caprice also gains proprietary rights to Manlis's girlfriend, nightclub chanteuse Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Big Boy's next move to is unite the rest of the city's crooks under his command; this wave of corruption attracts the attention of lawman Dick Tracy, who is determined to smash Caprice's criminal network once and for all. As Tracy plots to put Big Boy behind bars where he belongs, Breathless uses her considerable charms in an attempt to sway Tracy from the path of righteousness; this causes no small amount of anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering female companion, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and the street-smart kid (Charlie Korsmo) they've been keeping an eye on. The various bad guys, heavily made up to resemble Gould's cartoon characters (though Beatty is not made up to resemble Tracy), include Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, R.G. Armstrong, and William Forsythe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Four women, all high school best friends, are reunited in Minnesota at the wedding of a fifth friend. On the eve of the nuptials, the foursome discuss their lives, their loves and their innermost secrets. Adultery and a surprise pregnancy are choice ingredients added to this TV-movie brew. For the record, the four female chums are played by Shelley Hack, Sela Ward, Stephanie Faracy and Brooke Adams. Bridesmaids was originally telecast February 21, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though bereft of budget, the 1988 sci-fier Arena has its heart in the right place. The scene is a distant planet, where extraterrestrial gladiators square off in an arena. Earthling Steve Armstrong would like to prove his fighting skills, but the evil planetary ruler Marc Alaimo won't let him. After an intensive series of training sessions with martial-arts expert Claudia Christian, whose father used to run the arena, Armstrong is at last permitted to display his prowess in public. He also gets a chance to topple Alaimo's despotic regime, and, hopefully, to win himself a trip back to Mother Earth. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A mysterious and ominously silent stranger comes into Cheers, putting everyone on edge wondering who he is and what he wants. It turns out that the stranger's visit was arranged by Diane (Shelley Long), who is conducting an experiment on paranoid behavior. The gang calmly lets Diane know that they intend to even the score, very soon -- whereupon she becomes a dictionary definition of galloping paranoia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This comedy from Shelley Duvall's made-for-cable Tall Tales and Legends is fashioned after the famous baseball poem which features Elliot Gould and Hamilton Camp with narration by Howard Cosell. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

This standard, tongue-in-cheek, gangsters and good guys saga is carried on the star power and screen presence of Clint Eastwood as Lt. Speer, a taciturn, tough, play-it-by-the-book cop, and on Burt Reynolds as Mike Murphy, Speer's old friend in the force, now turned private eye but still a captivating rogue at heart. With a sub-text of playing their well-known screen personas off each other, Eastwood and Reynolds provide more than a surface interpretation of the characters that made them famous. After Murphy's partner is murdered, he focuses on pitting one mob boss against another in an attempt to have both mobsters kill each other. In the meantime, Lt. Speer -- who has never approved of Murphy's private detective business -- does not really know if Murphy is for or against the two top gangsters. Set in the era of speakeasies and Prohibition, an added layer of "film noir" can be discerned under the complex plot, verbal repartée, and episodes of toned-down violence (a kind of parody in themselves). Although this may not be the best film either star has made, it is still interesting to see them together on screen. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In a thinly-plotted story about redeeming a failing hotel by turning it into an optional brothel (depending on the guest), Peter Scolari stars as Elliot, the young man who has to succeed at this hotel business in order to garner the favor of Clifford, his prospective father-in-law (Christopher Lee). Unknown to Elliot and his girlfriend Tracy (Colleen Camp), her father just intends to blast the building to smithereens so he can collect the insurance money. But with Fran Drescher as the head of the contingent of call girls-cum-bellhops, the hotel starts to turn a tidy profit, giving Clifford second thoughts. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi